Democrats seek cost estimate of Barack Obama suit

Democrats on the House committee tasked with overseeing a Republican lawsuit against President Barack Obama are asking the panel’s chairman to detail how much the suit will cost.

The four Democrats on the Rules Committee, led by New York Democrat Louise Slaughter, sent a letter on Thursday to Committee Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Texas) asking for the total expected bill for the lawsuit and how the House plans to pay for the cost.

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“The American people have endured enough waste from this House majority, and we are demanding an estimate so that members of Congress and the American public will know the true cost of the House’s petty partisan lawsuit against the president,” Slaughter said.

Republicans haven’t outlined how much the lawsuit will cost or where they will find the resources to pay for it. The House spent $2.3 million in its lawsuit to support the Defense of Marriage Act.

House Republicans hope to bring a lawsuit against Obama for a 2013 delay to employer mandate provisions in Obamacare.

The Rules Committee held a hearing on the lawsuit this week with witnesses debating if the House has standing to sue Obama over the health care delays. The House will likely vote on the lawsuit later this month.